


The California Adventure

by CooperSchlickau1



Category: Big Nate Series - Lincoln Pierce (Novels)
Genre: Gen, Middle School, O
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27988227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CooperSchlickau1/pseuds/CooperSchlickau1
Summary: Nate discovers that he might be moving to California. What will happen then? Based on the book Blasts Off. Will have crossovers with "Killing Eve" and if requested, other crossover characters and tv shows too.
Relationships: Nate Wright/Ruby Dinsmore





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [The California Plan](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/724041) by Cooper Schlickau. 



> Author's Note: I do not own any copyright, all rights belong to their respective owners.
> 
> Author's Note 2: This is my first ever fanfiction. I am so excited and I want to bring my imagination to you. This story will contain several references from other movies and will have a few changeups so please no harsh criticism or reviews. Polite criticism is welcome.
> 
> Author's Note 3: this is from fanfiction just in case if my story gets deleted so harsh comments.

Prologue:

News. It could be really good or really bad. And it would either be learning that a girl you ever wanted in your life likes you (more than a friend of course), or you get home to find out that your parent telling you that a company wants to hire him in California.

You see, about a month ago, a man was laid off by an unknown company he worked at (for unknown reasons). So in order to get another job he had to dress up and go to job interviews to apply work in town...which isn't going so well. That man's name is Martin Wright. And he had a son named Nate Wright and a daughter named Ellen Wright. And their lives are about to be changed forever...


	2. We're...we're moving?

Nate made his way home after a very brutal day at school. The boy took some serious payback on a bully named Randy Betancourt by taking shots at him in a school newspaper, with disastrous results. It caused an ugly fight between the two and the punishment was peer counseling for both boys. This punishment caused Nate to miss the Mud Bowl practice (which the real game will come any day now).

But anyway, Nate arrived at his house and entered it. There, he finds dad preparing to make dinner when Nate pulls out his permission slip for the field trip (which is coming in a week) and asks:

"Dad, will you sign this so I can go to the museum?

"Sure," Martin took the slip and signed it and handed it back to Nate saying, "here you go."

Nate took it and after a few moments, asks his dad, "um...what about your phone number for work?"

"I wrote down our home phone," he says.

" Well, the field trip is on Wednesday and you go to the office on Wednesdays so…"

Suddenly, Nate stops his sentence. The reason, you ask? Martin suddenly feels… well… um… depressed? Sad? It was hard to tell.

"Um...dad?...dad?...dad," Nate asks in confusion. Several minutes pass, no response from his dad.

"Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad?"

Still no response. Suddenly, another Nate pops out of nowhere and says the exact same line.

"Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad?"

Several more minutes pass, and still no response from his dad. And before you knew it, a bunch of clones representing Nate was surrounding Martin and saying: "Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad? Dad?"

Until finally-

"Nate, go get your sister. Family meeting." As Martin finally responded, all the other clones of Nate suddenly disappear from sight.

"Um…okay," Nate replied back then went to get Ellen. He did that, and before you knew it, the siblings appear before their father in the living room for a meeting.

"I've been trying to figure out how to say this, but I'll go ahead and try to tell you the best I can," Martin says to his kids. Suddenly, he hesitates, unclear on how to deliver the news to his kids. Nate and Ellen started to worry.

"...d...dad?" Ellen asks, starting to freak out a bit. Even Nate was scared.

"Come on, dad. You're scaring me," Nate says to his father.

After a few moments, Martin finally speaks up. "I...I lost my job. The company laid me off last month."

This greatly shocks the siblings. " Wait... last month?" Ellen asks in confusion. "Didn't we see you go the office a few weeks ago?"

Nate jumped into the conversation. "Yeah, remember you were all dressed up and everything?"

It was true. About a few weeks ago, Nate returned home from school to find his dad getting ready to go to work (or what it seemed to be, let alone the truth was going to be revealed in the present day). Nate didn't mind this since he thought his dad had a job to go to.

"Actually, kids...I wasn't going to the office," Martin explains. "I had a job interview. I've been going to lots of job interviews lately, trying to apply for work, but unfortunately, it hasn't been going so well. My first choice would be staying here."

"And the second choice?" Nate asks.

"Well...there IS a company that wants to hire me… in California."

The word 'California' felt like a horrible echo to Nate and Ellen. Not to mention, how shocked the siblings were and they knew what was gonna happen.

"We're...we're moving?" Nate asks in shock.

"If I can't find any work here in town, yes Nate, I'm afraid we'll have to move," Martin replies sadly.

Ellen turned desperate...quickly. "D-don't make us go, dad. Please? I can't leave my boyfriend and...and…"

"Sorry Ellen, I can't leave you two here by yourselves," Martin responds to Ellen's pleads to stay.

Immediately, Ellen runs to her room, slams the door shut, and cries into her pillow.I've

Nate was upset by the California plan. He spoke to his dad and said: "You… you'll find work here in town, right? There's hope...right?"

Martin nodded sadly. "Hopefully there's a miracle to come, but no matter what happens, I promise you, everything will be okay. No matter what happens."

Martin leaves Nate alone in the living room and goes to make dinner.

After a few moments, Nate walks outside and sits down on the front lawn, alone.

"No matter what happens, I promise you, everything will be okay. No matter what happens." Martin says in Nate's mind that plays out on repeat. Over and over again.

"Oh man. What am I going to tell my friends?" Nate asks to himself, unaware of a flying object that's about to hit him.

Thunk!

The object knocked Nate out for a few seconds and he turned to see what the source was that hit him in the head. It was a frisbee which rolled right beside Nate and laid flat on the ground. He then turned to see who threw the Frisbee. It was his friends, Francis Pope, Teddy Ortiz and Dee Dee Holloway.

"My apologies, Nate," Francis said nervously, hoping that Nate wouldn't blow up on his best friend.

"Though, you will need to do better than that in the Mud Bowl," Teddy chimed in.

The trio sits down beside Nate.

"Tell us about peer counseling. Did the three of you have lots and lots of group hugs?" Teddy asks Nate.

Everyone laughed. Except for Nate. He wasn't in the mood to do so.

"That… that never really happened. Sorry," Nate mumbled.

"What's wrong, Nate?" Dee Dee asks with deep concern.

"Nothing. Nothing," Nate replied back.

The thought of telling his best friends that he might be moving to California put a really ugly turn in Nate's stomach. He didn't know if they would take it so well. They might get upset about it and probably offer support too.

So Nate decided to change the subject.

"So… how was practice?" Nate asked his friends.

"Practice was fun," Francis replied.

Dee Dee cleared her throat and said with a warm smile: "Speaking of practice, I got news for you. It's a surprise. Ruby and I had a little talk after practice...and just as I thought, she likes you. She said you're nice, she loves your sense of humor, she thinks you're cute, she even loves your hair!"

While Dee Dee was saying this, she wraps her arms around Nate in a big hug.

"So this girl is literally one in a million," Teddy cracks. Everyone laughed. Except for Nate. Again.

The girl whom Nate had a crush on recently is Ruby Dinsmore. Nate gave up on his other crush, Jenny Jenkins, after finally figuring out that she hated him since 1st Grade. Though Nate promised he would never give up on Jenny, it took him about 5 years of constant rejection and Ruby moving into the neighborhood to finally give in to the reality that Jenny disliked him and didn't want to be his girlfriend. And if it wasn't for the California plan, Nate would have been very excited to learn that Ruby likes him. But unfortunately, the California plan seemingly interrupted that excitement for Nate. So he decided to at least explain why he wasn't happy at the moment.

But whenever he tried to speak, laughter kept Nate from telling the news about the recent news he was given by his dad.

After trying to talk several times, Nate finally shouted: "Guys! Let me talk for one second!"

That shout Nate gave stopped the laughter.

"Nate, what's your deal?" asks Francis.

"I was trying to speak, but you guys weren't listening to me," Nate replied angrily.

That's when Dee Dee started giving Nate the blank stare. Nate noticed this.

"What are you doing?" he asks Dee Dee.

"Not talking to you until you calm down," she replied.

"Why?"

No reply. Just a blank stare.

And the more Dee Dee gave the blank stare, the more Nate got really mad.

"Are you even listening to me? I was trying to speak, but you weren't listening to me!"

That's when Dee Dee got an idea.

"Hey Francis and Teddy, how was your day at school?" she asks.

"Pretty good. How was your day at school?" Francis asks in response.

"Mine was great! I'm betting that Nate and Ruby would make a great couple, but let's hope that Nate doesn't have a big temper tantrum all the time..." Dee Dee responded but got cut off by a very angry Nate.

"Temper Tantrum? WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ME HAVING A BIG TEMPER TANTRUM?" Nate shouts.

That's when Dee Dee had another idea.

"Hey guys, I have another idea. Let's leave Nate alone until he calms down, shall we?" she asks Nate's friends.

Francis and Teddy agreed. The trio then left despite Nate demanding them to come back, then after a few moments, Nate went inside his house in anger and closed the door behind him and had his back leaning towards it. And after a brief moment, a few tears were slowly coming out of Nate's eyes.

"Fine, I never needed you at the moment anyway," Nate thought to himself.

Nate's back then slowly slid down the door, and Nate made his way close to his knees and put his hands on his face and sobbed for quite awhile.

And after a while, Nate ate dinner with his dad and sister in silence. No one was talkative at the table and didn't bother speaking a word to each other. And after dinner, Nate went upstairs to his room, closed his curtains (unaware that Francis was trying to communicate with him), and sat on his bed. That's when Nate started noticing how messy it really is.

"Maybe I should clean it up," Nate says to himself. And he did. While he does this, Nate steps on a piece of paper. But not just a piece of paper, it was…

"My social studies assignment," Nate says as he picks up the paper and looked at it. It had sloppy handwriting and food stains covered all over the paper (almost).

"Why can't you be more like your sister?" Nate's teacher, Mrs. Godfrey asks in Nate's mind.

"Because I AM a slob," Nate replies to Mrs. Godfrey's question in his mind.

"But I will change. For real, this time."

*Done. That's chapter 1, folks. I will continue soon but feel free to comment in the review section. So long! ;)


	3. Standing up to an arch rivaled classmate

The next day, Nate got up really early in the morning and packed up his backpack with his previous assignments and overdue library books school and made his way to PS 38 alone. He didn't want to be bothered right now. He had to change since he had bad grades in school and attends peer counseling.

So Nate made his way through the school entrance, in the first thing he did was returned his overdue library books (much to Mrs. Hickson's delight), and made his way to his very messy locker. He then proceeded to clean up whatever junk he had in that locker and threw most of the unwanted garbage away and collected whatever homework assignments he had in it.

Soon a little bit of time passed, most of PS 38 classmates begin pouring into the school. But luckily for Nate, the boy was able to ask for extra assignments to redo his homework, much to the confusion from most of his teachers. Nate then made his way to social studies class. There was Mrs. Godfrey, one of his arch rivals, who gave Nate the usual glare. Nate didn't mind this, of course, mainly due to how much Nate really is a bad student.

Nate then approached Randy, who seemed pretty bitter about yesterday.

"Hey," Nate says to Randy.

"Hi," Randy replied back.

"That was something yesterday."

"Sure was."

"Um, Randy?"

"Yeah?"

"...never mind."

"I know you wanna say something, so say it."

"...I didn't have a great day yesterday."

"Why's that, Nate?"

"When I got home from school yesterday, two things occurred. One: I might be moving to California. And two: When I tried to talk to my friends, they didn't listen, so I had to shout at them to listen. Then all of the sudden, Dee Dee starts playing a game called 'I'm not talking to you until you calm down' on me."

"...is that right?"

Nate nodded.

Randy then asked, "Why are moving to California?

"Because there is some company wants to hire my dad there," Nate replies.

"I see. Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really, no. It's a fifty-fifty chance that I might be moving because Dad has one more job interview lined up. If that never succeeds, my next stop will be in California."

"Yikes. I'm… I'm sorry that you have to endure this. I don't mean to be a little off, but does that I get to have Ruby? For myself?"

"...sure. Knock yourself out."

"Thanks," Randy said and hugged Nate. Nate was surprised by this but then later returned the favor. Until a voice suddenly comes in.

"No hugging in school."

Nate and Randy pulled away from each other to the see who it was that spoke to them.

It was Principal Nichols, the school principal. And he was pretty happy, to be honest.

"Though I am pretty happy that you two are finally getting along with each other. So that's something."

"Sure is," Nate replies to the principal, who then walked away to the teacher's lounge.

Nate then turned to Randy then said, "One more thing. If you want to Ruby to love you, at least put the bullying persona behind you, okay?"

"Okay," Randy replied then suddenly looked at the strange object in Nate's pocket.

"What is that?" Randy asks.

"A taser," Nate replied.

Randy was stunned then said, "You better have a good reason why you brought that to school. Otherwise, you're gonna be in BIG trouble."

"But it will be worth the shot," Nate replied again.

"What are you going use that for?" Randy asks.

"I got just the thing."

After that, the conversation ended. The pair their separate ways. And little did Nate knew that his friends were actually watching Nate hug Randy in person.

And so, class eventually begin. The bell rang and sooner or later, Mrs. Godfrey was at the chalkboard, doing her usual teaching thing (about social studies class, of course).

Several minutes later, this is when… well… um… we'll let it describe it.

Nate was minding his own business following along in class with the teacher when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He ignored it because he didn't want any trouble right now. But then a whisper came along with it.

"Nate?"

It was Ruby, Nate's latest crush, and would-be girlfriend. Nate really disliked the idea of hurting Ruby's feelings by saying he's not interested in starting a relationship with her. But because of the California plan, Nate knew at one point he had to spill the beans.

For now, Nate didn't respond to Ruby and tried his best to follow along in class. But she kept bugging Nate so much and just as he was about to burst with anger, Mrs. Godfrey suddenly called on Nate for a question.

"Nate?"

Nate jumped, as he immediately feared he was gonna get the sledgehammer from his teacher, but ended up crashing onto to the ground, much to everyone's amusement.

"You ok, Nate?" Mrs. Godfrey asked.

"I'm fine, but a fly kept bugging me and wouldn't let me answer your question," Nate responded.

Then with narrowed eyes, Mrs. Godfrey said, "Well tell that fly to leave you alone for the rest of the class time, okay?"

"Okay," Nate replied.

Then Mrs. Godfrey turned back to the board. Nate took a quiet breath of relief and turned to look back to his textbook. Then, a whisper came along again.

"Nate."

It was Ruby.

"Not now," Nate whispered quietly to his would-be girlfriend.

"Um, Nate? Are you oka-" Ruby whispered but was suddenly got cut off by Nate snapping back-

"Not. NOW!" Nate snapped back, immediately shocking Ruby.

Mrs. Godfrey immediately turned to see what the problem was.

"What's going on?" she asks.

Nate didn't want detention, so he then replied to Mrs. Godfrey's demand.

"Something's bothering me."

Mrs. Godfrey raised an eyebrow, then asked.

"Something….or someone?"

"...someone," Nate replied back to his teacher.

Mrs. Godfrey nodded her head slowly then asked, "Would you like to sit somewhere else?"

Nate really hated to do this, especially to Ruby, but he knew he was getting rallied up again. So Nate agreed.

"...with pleasure," Nate replies to Mrs. Godfrey, and then (believe it or not) actually begins pulling his desk away from Ruby, much to his friends' shock (and Dee Dee letting out a gasp), and Mrs. Godfrey's immediate confusion.

"Where... are you going?" she asks her student.

Nate ignored this question and placed his desk close to Mrs. Godfrey's desk, and then pulled out his redo assignments and finished and questions he missed. Mrs. Godfrey then slowly walked over to Nate's desk and put her hand on Nate's redo assignments. Nate looked up to his teacher who then asked, "Please answer my question. Why are you moving your desk over to MY desk?"

"To avoid trouble," Nate replied back.

Mrs. Godfrey then switched Nate's assignments to her direction and looked at it a bit. Few moments pass, then…

"Not one sight of cartoons. Not one."

"The only other cartoon there is is in my backpack," Nate chimed in.

"Is that a one-way ticket to detention?"

"No."

"May I at least see it so I know you're not lying?"

"Sure."

And Mrs. Godfrey looked at the comic. Here's how it went:

Mrs. Czerwicki: Put your head on your desk. And no talking!

Nate: What a sensible suggestion! I'll consider the consequences of my actions!

After several minutes of introspection…

Nate: That cartoon I drew was so MEAN! How could I have been so cruel? I must apologize to Mrs. Godfrey IMMEDIATELY!

Mrs. Czerwicki: Run! Run like the wind!

But…

Nate: Where's Mrs. Godfrey?

Random Sub: She was so devastated by your cartoon, she had to be HOSPITALIZED!

*Shame Cam Close-up!*

Nate: Oh No!

Soon, at the hospital…

Nurse: Her heart is broken! She's on life support!

Nate: What have I done? Mrs. Godfrey! Can you forgive me? I promise to NEVER draw mean cartoons again!

Nurse: Look! She's waking up!

Mrs. Godfrey: Even in a coma, I heard what you said! Did you mean it?

Nate: I meant EVERY word! I've seen the error of my ways! And it's all because you sent me to detention, you caring person, you!

Mrs. Godfrey: Give me a hug!

Mrs. Godfrey looked at the comic then looked straight into Nate's eyes and asked, "Are you trying to change for real, this time?"

"Of course," Nate replies then, believe it or not, actually gets up and HUGS Mrs. Godfrey in front of everyone in the classroom.

For real.

Everyone was stunned. No one has ever seen Nate hug Mrs. Godfrey. Then the student stopping hugging Mrs. Godfrey, knowing she would ask to stop being hugged then the teacher on why Nate would change for real, this time. But before Nate could answer, the intercom comes on.

"Mrs. Godfrey. Your coffee's ready."

"Coming," Mrs. Godfrey replies to the intercom. She then turns back to Nate saying, "I'll cross that bridge when I get back."

Mrs. Godfrey then leaves the room. As soon as the door closes behind her, all eyes in the room begin landing on Nate. At first, he tried to deny it by looking behind him and asking:

"What are we supposed to be looking at?"

"You," a voice says.

It was Gina Hemphill-Toms, Nate's worst arch-enemy. EVER.

"This is almost like the one time you were hypnotized to try to stay neat. You're onto something again. Tell me this instant!" Gina angrily demanded.

"Nothing," Nate replied.

"Talk!"

"No."

"I mean it. You're faking again. Start talking!"

"Says a girl who won't shut up about A pluses and nonstop homework."

"I care about studying. All you care about is your stupid little comics."

"I've seen the error of my ways, Gina. I have nothing to hide from you. I'm coming out as a changed man."

"Says the guy who yelled at a girl and pulled his desk away from her!"

"I didn't want detention again, sweetheart. I get into trouble about every day."

"...did you just call me sweetheart?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for noticing."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Because why?"

"Because...I'm madly in love with you."

Stunned silence. Then everyone went:

"Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh."

Gina looks at Nate with a very shocked look on her face.

"You...WHAT!?"

"You heard me," Nate says quietly.

"Well just for the record, Nate, just so we are perfectly clear on this (even I have already said this the one time the 'Nate likes Gina' rumors were around at the time)...I. REALLY. HATE. YOUR. GUTS!"

"Hey, calm down, sweetheart. Just calm d-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU LITTLE BRAT! COMICS ARE JUST OF TIME IN MY OPINION AND I THINK IT'S BEST THAT YOU SHOULD BE IN BIG TROUBLE IN FACT I THINK YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN EXIST!"

Those words out of Gina's mouth struck cold on Nate. And the classroom was silent and still, not even making a single move. But this didn't stop Nate from prevailing by saying this after a few moments of silence:

"Well get over it, Gina. Oh wait, I take that back. That 'Nate likes Gina' rumors, they're actually not real at all. I don't actually love you. I despise you."

"Then why did you say it in the first place?" Gina growled through clenched teeth.

"Just to let you know that Mrs. Godfrey doesn't actually like you and to get your sinister smirk off your face for once!"

"And what does that mean?"

"My sister was Mrs. Godfrey's favorite student, so you're not the only one who is Mrs. Godfrey's favorite students and stop being Mrs. Godfrey's toy. You're not her toy to play with. She doesn't love you! And another thing is that not everyone in the world likes you, so don't try to justify yourself, because it's not going to work and that you get people into trouble and you repeatedly do it just for your own benefit. You might be right too. Comics are a waste of time. And the last thing I want to tell you is that I'm trying to change for real, this time, so try not to stop me or set me up for reason, okay?"

Gina wanted to explode with anger so much on Nate, but unfortunately for her, tears were slowly pouring down her cheeks. The class looked at Gina in surprise. No one has ever seen Gina close to crying like this. Until a few seconds later, she DID cry.

"You're WRONG!" Gina cried, immediately wiping her now-damped face with ongoing tears. "Mrs. Godfrey does love me. She DOES! You're the problem. And I'm going to dispose of you and make everything right!"

Gina began laughing like a crazed maniac with tears still coming down her cheeks and slowly made her way towards Nate, who began to panic.

"What are you doing?" he asks Gina.

"I'm going to KILL you!" Gina snapped at Nate as she got closer and closer to him. Just then, a voice intervenes.

"And what is all this commotion about?"

Everyone turns to the source of the speaker. It was Mrs. Godfrey, who had just returned in a nick of time with her coffee.

"Uh...nothing!" Gina says, turning from monstrous to super sweet in one millisecond.

"Didn't sound like it to ME," Mrs. Godfrey said, immediately frowning in the process. "You sounded like you were THREATENING the boy's life with certain death."

"But...but…" Gina started to protest, but the damage was done.

Immediately, Mrs. Godfrey puts her coffee on her desk and pulls out a pink pad and begins writing on it. Afterwards, she hands the pink slip to Gina saying, "Report to detention after school today."

Gina gasped. "D...detention?"

"That's your second time you got detention, Gina," Nate whispered quietly to Gina.

"You should be the one to go to detention!" Gina snapped at Nate, pointing directly at the spiky haired boy.

"Calm down," Nate replies quietly.

"I am calm. What's with you people?"

Gina immediately regretted what she just said, because of the next few seconds later...

"...you people?" Mrs. Godfrey repeated, jumping into the argument.

Everyone looked at Gina with shock.

"What? No no no no no no no no. No. I don't mean you people. I mean you people," Gina responded back.

Mrs. Godfrey was furious now.

"Gina, I will NOT tolerate any disgusting behavior in this classroom! This is a very difficult time for our country as of right now!"

"But...but I'm not disgusting! I'm just saying that-"

Nate immediately cut off Gina and unbeknownst to anyone, began pulling out a taser saying:

"I'm only gonna say this one more time, Gina," Nate says to Gina. "Calm. Down."

"I'M CALM!" Gina screamed at Nate. And at that very moment, Nate went for the kill and tased Gina right on the chest and knocked her to the ground cold. Bullseye!

The crowd was stunned by the event. Seconds later, everyone began saying things such as-

"Nate tasered Gina!"

"OMG. Did you see that?"

"He just stood up to her."

"She'll feel THAT in the morning."

And yes, the tasering left Gina twitching like crazy too.

"Ugh, she was getting on my nerves," Nate mumbled to himself.

Nate then went back to his seat. Then he heard someone clear her throat.

"Ahem!"

Nate looked up. It was Mrs. Godfrey. She didn't look happy. And knowing that she will want the taser immediately, he hands it over to her, who said:

"Can you give one good reason why I shouldn't tell the principal about what you did just now?"

"...because I have all my make-up work done for you," Nate replied, handing not one, not two, but ALL his make-up work to his teacher effective immediately.

Mrs. Godfrey took all the assignments and looked at it and was stunned that there were no cartoons in sight. She then looked at Nate in surprise and asked:

"You...did all this?"

Nate nodded.

"Sure did," he responded.

"And where did you get that taser?"

"From my Dad's room."

"Did he say you could bring it to school?"

Nate didn't want to lie, so he told the truth.

"No."

"Then that's not quite enough to save you from getting suspended, or expelled."

The classroom went silent. Nate didn't want to lose the argument against his teacher, so he had to go all out instead of backing down now.

"You look like a beauty queen," Nate replied.

"...still not enough."

Nate didn't want to tell anyone else (besides Randy) that he might be moving to California, especially when everyone is in the classroom present and in earshot (except for an unconscious Gina).

Instead, Nate whispered the news to Mrs. Godfrey's ear.

After a few moments, Mrs. Godfrey then said, "I see. I'll ask your dad if that's true then. One more thing if you don't want big trouble:"

Mrs. Godfrey then pointed at Nate's desk close to Mrs. Godfrey's desk. "Move that to where it originally was, and I'll consider not telling the principal what you did."

"Okay," Nate replied. He then moved his desk back to where it belonged to. And for the rest of the class time, it was all too quiet for anyone to talk.

And soon, the bell rang. Social Studies is over (For now).

*Phew! That took longer than expected. Please comment on what you think of this chapter, and see you all next time! ;)*


	4. You've got spikes!

Nate left social studies class and headed down the hallway to his now-clean locker. Then he saw…

"That's so funny, Snooki Bear!"

Yep, Jenny Jenkins and Artur Pashkov. Artur was Nate's occasional rival at times (example: raising money to win skateboard), but other times a good friend (helping him win the bet against Marcus Goode, a seventh-grade bully). Nate knew it's time to at least say something, so without hesitation, he heads over to the lovebirds to start a conversation.

"Hey guys," Nate says to Artur and Jenny.

"Hi," Jenny replies back.

"Hallo Nate," Artur replies back.

"You guys are still together. Can't say I'm surprised," Nate says to the couple.

"Yeah," Jenny replies.

"Nate, is thing every okay?" Artur asks with concern.

"...yes. Something I need to know about?" Nate responds.

"You want to explain what prompted you to tase Gina in social studies?" Jenny asks with a narrowing eyebrow.

"Well...it's just that… I had to finally get rid of a thorn that just wouldn't go away for once," Nate explained.

"Nate, I have a question for you. Why you huggings Mrs. Godfrey today?" Artur asks.

"Because I have seen the error of my ways, and wanted to do right by everyone else," Nate replies.

"So why come to us?" Jenny asks.

"Because I thought I at least get something out and get it over with," Nate replied back.

"Whats do you meanings?" Artur asks.

"Two things. One: I would like to say that you two are a very nice couple."

"Thanks...but what's the other thing you're going to say?" Jenny asks.

"That I get it," Nate replied.

"About what?"

"That you hate my guts. But it's okay. I understand now."

"Whats do you meanings?" Artur asks.

"Since I kept chasing Jenny for 5 years since first grade, I've come to realize that she does not want me around her like a pesky fly that just wouldn't go away," Nate explained.

"How were you finally tipped off?" Jenny asked.

"I think that a while ago something in the back of my head was telling me that you didn't like me, so I ended up giving up for good."

"...is that...it? Or is there a little more to your claim?"

"Actually, there is a little more to that," Nate replied. Then he cleared his throat and explained his account to Jenny:

"Let's start with the time when I first met you when I accidentally called you 'Jonny' because my grammar wasn't good then. From that to rejecting numerous offers like eating lunch together, sharing swing sets, and dancing together. And the time I was trying to write a love poem for you, and accidentally dumping egg salad on you…"

"Wait, that was an accident?" Jenny asks in surprise.

"Yes. I was going for Gina instead of you," Nate replied back.

"What has she done that made you unhappy?"

"She named my fleece ball team 'Kuddle Kittens'," Nate replied.

"Though she helping you winning ball fleece," Artur replies to Nate's response.

"True," Nate says quietly.

"Anyway, continue," Jenny says to Nate.

"Okay. From that to the time when you saw me at my locker and said I was a slob, and to make it worse, your boyfriend EMBARRASSED me in front of everyone (which I forgive Artur for that) and the time you called me an idiot when I had bean bag pellets all over me, so I ended up writing a list of stupid pet names for Artur because I was too jealous. Those are some notable examples for you, Jenny. Forgive me for not staying out of your life as I should have, but I'll leave you alone for good, this time. I understand now that you hate me, to which I forgive you for. I get it now, Jenny. I get it," Nate says to Jenny.

At first, Jenny didn't know what Nate was trying to say, but the more she learned from Nate's explanation, the more she started to feel very bad for herself for not paying attention to Nate. She was even starting to tremble too.

After a few seconds…

"Well...um….is...is that all you wanted to share?" Jenny asks with her voice wobbly.

"Yeah. Anyway, I won't hold you guys up. Goodbye," Nate says before turning around and starting to walk away.

"Nate," Artur calls out to Nate.

Nate turned around in question.

"So can I ask why you acted differently in social studies today?" Jenny asks.

"Um...It's a long story. Can it wait for now?" Nate asks in response.

"...sure. Bye," Jenny replies.

"Bye."

And after that, Nate parts ways with the couple and heads to his now-clean locker. Then he gets his supplies for English, shuts the locker door then turns around to see his friends behind him. And they do NOT look happy.

Francis was the one to start the conversation.

"Well... that was something today," he says to Nate.

"Sure was," Nate mumbles.

"I can't believe you actually tasered Gina like that. That was GOLD."

"Indeed."

"Though, that wasn't very nice on what you did to Ruby," Teddy says with an upset tone in his voice.

"Well, I didn't want detention again. You got anything to say for that?" Nate asks with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Well Sherlock Holmes, you had NO business to yell at Ruby and pull your desk away from her! Do you have ANY idea how you made her feel? You actually broke her heart doing that. Plus, she's a very nice girl!" Dee Dee replied angrily.

"Sorry, but no. I didn't. But I believe she was close to getting ME in trouble."

"So what? I mean, what is wrong with you?"

"Um…"

"Is Randy doing this to you? Is he blackmailing you?

"This has NOTHING to do with Randy. At all."

"Then why were you two hugging earlier today?"

Nate's heart sank. He had no clue that his friends caught him hugging Randy.

"...because he's finally acting up for once and that he's NOT going to act like a mean bully ever again. Not to mention, he actually understands me now," Nate replied back after a moment of silence.

After a few moments of silence, the intercom went on and it said

"Nate Wright to the principal's office, please. Nate Wright to the office."

Nate's heart stopped.

"You told the principal on me?" Nate asked his friends, clearly outraged at what he's hearing.

Dee Dee simply gave Nate the blank stare instead of firing back.

"Yup. Told the principal EVERYTHING about what you did in social studies. Though, I am pleased that you stood up to Gina, so that's something," Francis responded to Nate, stepping in for Dee Dee.

"But WHY report me?" Nate demanded an explanation to his friends.

"Because of what you did to Ruby. It wasn't easy, but it HAD to be done," Teddy replied.

"And YOU'RE gonna be in REAL trouble when Principal Nichols questions you about what you did to that poor girl!" Dee Dee angrily hissed at Nate before leaving with Francis and Teddy following her.

Nate knew that he was gonna have his friendships damaged because of his so-dumb move back in social studies. But unfortunately, it was gonna have to come at some point, because NATE is the one who gets into frequent trouble at school and that 'I'm not talking to you until you calm down' game his friends played on Nate really took a toll on him. And to make it WORSE, Nate had a bad dream last night on how to get back at his friends for not talking to him, Nate had to go through Ruby to get to his friends (Dee Dee in particular).

Here was the dream only that Ruby was present:

*Francis gets done saying that practice was fun.

*Dee Dee clears her throat and says with a warm smile.

"Speaking of practice, I got news for you. It's a surprise. Ruby and I had a little talk after practice...and just as I thought, she likes you!"

As Dee Dee says this, she wraps her arms around Nate in a big hug.

"She said you're nice, she loves your sense of humor, she thinks you're cute, she even loves your hair!" Dee Dee exclaims with joy, knowing that there will a new relationship blossoming very very soon.

"So this girl is literally one in a million," Teddy cracks. Everyone laughed. Except for Nate.

Nate didn't want to hurt Ruby's feelings by saying he's not interested in starting a relationship with her. But because of the California plan seemingly interrupted that excitement for Nate. So he decided to at least explain why he wasn't happy at the moment. But when he tried to speak, laughter kept Nate from telling the news about the California plan.

After trying several times to speak, Nate shouts: "Guys, let me talk for one second!"

That shout Nate gave stopped the laughter abruptly.

"Nate, what's your deal?" Francis asks.

"I was trying to speak, but you guys weren't listening to me!" Nate replied angrily.

That's when Dee Dee started giving Nate the blank stare. (AKA this is the trouble begins).

"What are you doing?" Nate asks Dee Dee.

"Not talking to you until you calm down," she replied.

"Why?"

No reply. Just a blank stare.

"You do realize that is going to make me madder?" Nate warned.

Still no answer.

Francis chimes in.

"Well, if you're done, are you ever going to ask her out?" he asks Nate.

After a few moments…

"...no," Nate replied.

Everyone looked at Nate with shock.

"What? Why?" Teddy asks in confusion.

"I thought I liked Ruby... but because you're not listening to me, I changed my mind," Nate responded before himself away from Ruby and making his way towards his front door.

Dee Dee immediately jumped ahead and blocked the door from Nate.

"Move!" Nate ordered.

"Never," Dee Dee responded before she began pushing Nate away from his house.

And after a few minutes and several blocks later, Nate's friends pushed Nate over to where Ruby is, who was in the park.

"Please let me go!" Nate demanded, but no one listened to him.

"Hey Nate," Ruby said before getting off the park bench and greeting Nate,

Clearly, Ruby initially didn't notice Nate's anger towards his friends, but as Dee Dee handed Nate over to Ruby, she could clearly see that he's extremely mad.

"Package for Ruby Dinsmore," Teddy impersonated being a delivery person.

"And Nate, while you're with her, why don't you just take a deep breath and calm down," Dee Dee said to Nate, as she didn't know what Nate would later do next.

Nate and Ruby left despite Nate's will and as Nate's friends were leaving, they suddenly heard:

"...WHAT?"

It sounded like a combination of a foghorn and a chainsaw to Nate's friends, so they headed to the source of the yelling and soon enough, they saw it:

Nate was giving Ruby a five-star butt chewing, and Ruby DEFINITELY looked pretty frightened to Nate's behavior.

And as Ruby tried to comfort Nate, he did the absolute worst...and pushed Ruby away, who then scrapped her knee on the sidewalk.

And immediately, Ruby burst into tears.

This would be (or WOULD HAVE BEEN) the most UNFORGIVING moment for Nate because his friends immediately rushed to Ruby's side and asked questions such as:

"Are you okay?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Did he hurt you?"

Dee Dee turned around to Nate in anger and shouted:

"What is WRONG with you?"

"I had a bad day," Nate argued.

"You had a BAD DAY?"

"Yeah, I had a bad day, okay?"

"NO! NO! That is NOT okay! You are NEVER going ANYWHERE near Ruby or ANY of us AGAIN!

Nate looked at Dee Dee for a bit, who then said:

"We are DONE!"

Dee Dee turned on her heel then walked over to Francis and Teddy who were helping Ruby get to her feet while she was sobbing uncontrollably from the accident.

"Dee Dee!" Nate says as he got closer to his now ex-friends and Dee Dee turns around and hisses:

"Do you know what your problem is, Nate? You can't say 'What If'...and you never will."

And after that final word to Nate, Dee Dee then turns to Ruby and helps her out and asking:

"Can you walk?"

"I...I think so," Ruby replied weakly between sobs.

"Calm on. Let's get a band-aid on your knee," Francis spoke gently to Ruby before he, Teddy and Dee Dee started leading Ruby away, but not before Dee Dee gives a final glare and dirty look to Nate before they disappear.

"Fine, I never needed you anyway," Nate thought to himself before walking away towards home, and knowing that he can't be here in town anymore, Nate began praying discreetly that he move away from his ex-friends.

And Nate got his wish.

"Good riddance," Nate thought to himself as the family left Nate's hometown. For good, not even acknowledging Ellen sobbing in the car.

*End of dream.*

Nate was left feeling numb. He couldn't believe it. His friends betrayed him.

"Why?" Nate thought to himself.

Was it because he got mad at Ruby today?

Probably was.

Nate really hated himself for yelling at Ruby. But the problem was this:

Again, it is possible that Nate might be moving to California because of a company wanting to hire his dad there. Nate doesn't really hate Ruby. At all. He still thinks she's awesome. And beautiful, of course. But what's the point of telling Ruby that Nate loves her back when he's never going to SEE her again? That ALONE is the problem.

After a few moments, Nate walks slowly to the Principal's office and soon enough, Nate knocked on the office door.

"Come in," The Principal said.

Nate opened the door.

"Ah, Nate. Sit down, please," Principal Nichols gestured to a chair.

Nate slowly sat down, knowing the worst is about to come.

"Can you explain to me what happened today in social studies?" The principal asked Nate.

Nate couldn't respond. He felt like he had sawdust in his mouth.

"Can't explain?" Principal Nichols asked, noticing Nate unable to speak.

Nate nodded his head slowly.

"Well, according to the complaints I got today, you reportedly yelled at another student (because she was giving you problems) and you tased yet another student too. Can you give any comments on that?" The Principal went to proceed with the reports he gotten today.

"Well... they were giving me problems and I had to defend myself. I do have my rights...right?" Nate asked nervously.

"By yelling and pulling your desk away from that person and tasering another?" The Principal responded back.

"But Gina was displaying disgusting comments towards people saying 'you people,'" Nate did his best to justify his actions.

"And yelling at another girl for bugging you?" Principal Nichols responded again.

That's when Nate got extremely upset and mad at the same time and got up from his seat to get to the Principal's level and:

"She was CLOSE to getting me in trouble and I didn't want any further trouble with what happened yesterday, especially at home, and my friend's not listening! None of this would have happened if they just LISTENED to me!"

Nate's stomach went numb in a millisecond, based on the Principal's reaction to Nate's sudden outburst, so he slowly sat back down, knowing the ugly was about to strike.

But surprisingly, the Principal (because he noticed a few tears rolling down Nate's eyes) calmly asked Nate with the following question:

"And what's going on at home that I need to know about?"

Silence fell again. Nate knew he had to get out of the situation fast, so he had to give off the real reason why Nate acted like a jerk.

"Because I am moving...to California," Nate replied, looking like he's about to collapse in shock.

"And why's that?" the Principal asked.

"Because my if my dad can't work here in town, me and my family will HAVE to move," Nate explained the problem.

The Principal nodded his head and asked:

"And if I contact your dad, will he have the same account as yours?"

"Yes," Nate whispered with pain in his voice.

"Okay then. Here's the thing: I'm NOT going to punish you NOW, it's just that... with all that has happened to you lately, I'll leave you be for right now," Principal Nichols explained to Nate, whose heart stopped, thinking he was getting an OSS or something.

"That's all. You may go now," The Principal finished and dismissed Nate, who left the office slowly and walked down the hallway, where he is greeted by a few students.

"We heard what you did to Gina today, so great job. How did it feel getting revenge on Gina?" One student asked.

"Pretty sweet," Nate replied with a small smile.

"Well, again, great job," said another student before leaving Nate, who headed for his locker in pure bitterness.

That's when a hand is placed on Nate which caused him to turn him around to see who it was.

"Oh. You again," Nate responded bitterly.

It was Nate's friends.

"What did the principal say?" Francis asks.

"Did you get expelled?" Teddy asks with concern.

"Not yet. But I'm close now because of you," Nate replied back.

"I'm sorry, okay? We had to!"

"May I ask why?"

"Well...um…"

"Is it because of what I did to Ruby? Forgive me, but I didn't want detention again. Case Closed."

Nate began to walk away again. But ended up getting pulled over again in the process.

"Nate, listen to me! The reason why I had to sell you out was that…" Dee Dee started but Nate finished the sentence.

"Because of what I did to Ruby? Yep, that's what I said a little bit ago."

"Look, can we get past this now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because of you."

"Us?" Teddy asks.

"Yes. And I may bear SOME responsibility for the trouble I'M getting, but you had NO right to sell me out!" Nate hissed.

Again, Dee Dee simply gave Nate the usual blank stare.

"And you blew it for me?"

"Blew what for you?"

That's when a voice jumps in.

"Nate, are you okay?"

It was Ruby. She slowly walked up to Nate and inserted her hand into Nate's hand.

Yet again, Nate really hated himself for yelling at Ruby back in social studies. But because of his friends betraying him and refusal to understand his anger, Nate knew it was time to at least turn away the opportunity to ask Ruby out. Not to mention, Nate somehow realized that Ruby was his friends' biggest weakness. Especially to Dee Dee.

And speaking of Dee Dee..

"You BETTER not jerk your hand away from Ruby. You get me?" she warned.

Nate tried to defend himself, but Dee Dee cut him off, saying:

"I don't want to hear it from you for now, okay?"

And with that, Dee Dee sent Nate on his way with Ruby. Little would she know that relationship won't last long...

"Nate, are you okay?" Ruby asked with concern to Nate.

Nate didn't answer and tried to avoid eye contact with her. Nate felt like he is being FORCED into a relationship now that Dee Dee is refusing to listen to Nate.

"Is something bothering you?" Ruby asked again.

"Can I be left alone right now?" Nate asked politely.

"I can tell what happened in social studies is affecting you. Something tells me that you probably shouldn't have tased Gina and left her alone, not to mention the fact you shouldn't have gotten angry. You should have just let it go."

This is where the newborn relationship is about to take a sharp 180. Not to mention that some portion of Ruby's response is what got Nate to hurt Ruby in Nate's nightmare.

Nate turned and looked at Ruby in shock and anger.

"...WHAT?"

"Oops. I made a big mistake," Ruby thought to herself.

"That's it, we're done!" Nate responded angrily before walking away quickly.

"Nate, WAIT!" Ruby called out, trying to catch up to her new boyfriend.

And as soon as she did, Ruby tried to rap her arms around Nate, who immediately responded back by blocking Ruby from comforting him.

Randy was nearby alongside his friends and noticed the incident growing.

"Guess he's trying to fulfill his promise to you," one of Randy's friends suggested.

Randy nodded back.

But before Randy could intervene, Nate pushed away Ruby, who fell to the ground, but luckily, she didn't scrap herself. Thank goodness!

And before you knew it, Nate found himself belittling and humiliating his new girlfriend in front of the ongoing crowd. Even Dee Dee, Francis, and Teddy came forward to see what was the commotion about.

"...so there! We are DONE!" Nate hissed before turning to walk away but Dee Dee's voice stopped him.

"Nate! WHAT is your problem?"

Nate stopped. Randy knew what was happening. He then whispered to most of the crowd that Nate was upset. It was a 'pass it on' moment that occurred during the argument.

Nate turned around. His face burnt red of clear anger and hot tears boiling out of his eyes. Everyone noticed that too.

"I thought I liked Ruby...but because of your betrayal towards me, and refusal to listen to me, I CHANGED my mind," Nate spoke angrily.

Francis' jaw dropped. Teddy let out an 'ooohhhh'. Dee Dee gasped with her hands close to her mouth.

"And you know what your problem is? You can't say 'What If'... and you never will," Nate finished. before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Okay, you're too far, Nate. This is, like, totally unnecessary," Dee Dee spoke quietly, trying to diffuse the situation.

Nate stopped dead in his tracks, then waved his fists in the air and shouted:

"I'M GOING TOO FAR? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

More tears were spilling out of Nate's eyes now.

"This wasn't what we had in mind! Didn't plan this out!" Dee Dee protested.

"Well guess what, Dee Dee, love doesn't go by a plan or force!" Nate said back in anger.

One of Randy's friends cheered in support for Nate:

"Yeah!"

Nate gasped suddenly.

"You see? There! She just gave me the blank stare again!" Nate pointed to Dee Dee.

Everyone booed at Dee Dee, who looked back in embarrassment.

"Nate, STOP IT!" Dee Dee hissed.

"I was totally wrong about you. I open myself up, and trusted you as a good friend...but you've got spikes man! You've got spikes!" Nate replied weakly before walking away in tears.

"Nate!" Randy called out, before turning to Dee Dee with a glare before running after Nate with concern.

Dee Dee looked on in stunned silence before turning to the crowd for support.

But the only response that was given back was anger and disgust to Dee Dee and the rest of Nate's now ex-friends before turning to their own separate ways and walking away with several students murmuring words to each other with headshaking exchanged.

And from that moment on, Nate's trust to his friends was destroyed.

Like done for good kind of destroyed.

*Done! That took awhile. I lost my progress several times, but it was worth the try. I'll see you soon again. Byeeee! ;)*


	5. The Lunchoedown

English and Art class went very slow as if it were to never end. Though they went very slow today, Nate handed in his make-up work for Ms. Clarke and Mr. Rosa, much to their excitement and delight.

Nate never forgot the last thing he said to his friends before leaving them behind. Neither did Dee Dee, who thought to herself:

Why would he reject such a beautiful girl like that? He was given the opportunity of a lifetime, and he rejected it. Why?

Sure, the friendships between Nate and his friends are over for good, but Dee Dee urged Ruby and Nate's friends to not give up yet, as she claims to be suspicious of Nate and Randy, because she knows that (a) Nate still likes Ruby, but for some reason, Nate is pretending he doesn't anymore, and (b) Randy might have something to do with Nate, because Nate's friends witnessed Nate and Randy hugging earlier today.

Lunch arrived and Nate got his food and went to look for a place to sit. And after a long search, Nate finally found a place to sit. And it was with Randy and his gang.

"You gonna sit with us?" Randy asks.

"Yeah," Nate replied.

Nate sat with Randy and his gang and ate lunch and chatted a little bit.

A few tables away from Nate, sat Francis, Dee Dee, Teddy, Chad, and Ruby.

Francis looked around the lunchroom, before turning back to say:

"Man, people are angry at us."

"It's crazy, isn't it? No thanks to Nate, we are now part of the unpopular crowd," Teddy responded while sinking his teeth into his sandwich.

"Does anyone understand the significance of 'I'm sorry' anymore?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah...yeah, good point, Ruby," Francis responded before looking around again and asking: "What happened to the significance?"

Ever since the fight today, everyone turned against Nate's ex-friends through gossip and chit-chatter, and NO ONE was willing to talk to the group and has silently shunned them out from their own respective groups.

Chad opened up and said:

"Don't poke a bear. He might eat you."

Everyone looked at Chad in confusion.

"What does that mean?" Dee Dee asked.

Teddy spoke up quickly.

"I think that's one of his grandma's sayings or something."

"Oh...does...does that mean we played a part in this mess we're in?" Dee Dee asks in regret.

"I'm afraid so," Chad said sadly.

"Then, how did he manage to escape punishment today in Mrs. Godfrey's class today?" Teddy asked.

Silence.

"I don't know...but I am BOUND to know what Nate's problem is, and I will not rest until I do," Dee Dee said with determination in her voice.

"Well, good luck, but do it with EXTREME caution. I don't think that Nate liked on what ya did with him," Chad replied while drinking soda.

"You mean the way I wasn't talking to Nate until he calmed down?" Dee Dee asked.

Chad nodded.

"I was waiting until he..." Dee Dee started before Chad said back:

"Think he was trying to express his emotions to you, but you weren't allowing him to do so. It's like you're intolerant to someone who has a bad cold. It could still upset you."

Dee Dee immediately knew Chad was right, but she didn't know what to say.

Silence again. Then:

"Hey, Nate! Heard you broke up with Ruby and your friends today!"

Yup. Gina was teasing Nate over today's incident.

"Leave him alone, Gina," Randy hissed at Gina, who countered back, saying:

"I'm just having some fuuuuuuuunnnnnn here, so back off!"

That's when a light bulb went off Nate's head.

So Nate quietly waved for attention and-

"Hi, everyone! I'm Gina Hemphill-Toms! I'm the SMARTEST student in school!" Nate intimidated Gina.

Everyone began laughing. Everyone except Gina.

"Oh, so you're trying to intimate me, are you? Okay," Gina responded before intimidating Nate back by-

"Oh look everyone! I'm Nate Wrong! I'm the worst student in school and loves stupid comic books!"

Nate quickly responded by correcting Gina by saying:

"Two things. One: It's Nate WRIGHT. And two: I'm done with comic books, so…"

Then Nate snapped his fingers left and right and doing the swirl.

Everyone was stunned then exclaimed:

"Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh."

Gina looked stunned. Then she tried to intimate Nate again but…

"Oh look everyone… I'm Nate Wright... and I just love trying to...trying to stand up to Gina and thinks I'm gonna win."

No laughter from the audience.

*Cue crickets chirping*

"Well, let me counter that…" Nate replied before getting into a lady pose and pretending to have hair in a ponytail like Gina's and stroked several times. Not to mention that Nate was getting quite the laughter from the lunch room.

"Oh, that's very funny, Nate. Let me try to counter THAT.." Gina responded before trying to pose like a man pretending to have spiky hair like Nate's and stroking several times. Unfortunately, not much laughter came.

"Let me counter that one," Nate replied back before pulling out a pair of scissors and looked ready to cut his pretend long hair of Gina's.

"Don't you dare, Nate. Don't you-" Gina warned but unfortunately, her warning fell on deaf ears as Nate pretended to cut Gina's pretend hair.

The entire lunchroom roared with laughter. Gina was STUNNED. She looked around the lunchroom as laughter arose her. And something was building inside Gina.

Rage.

And anger.

Hot, boiling anger.

And without warning, Gina begins shouting.

"OH YEAH!? OOHH YEEEEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!!????"

Then Gina starts screaming at Nate like insane. And long and loud for the laughter from the lunchroom to quickly die down.

After a long scream, Gina stops and takes a few short breaths while staring straight at Nate, who said quietly:

"It's just a hoedown, Gina."

"WELL, THIS IS YOUUUU, NAAAAAAATTE!!!!!" Gina shouts before turning into a literal madman (or mad WOMAN if you want to call it that way) and starts going crazy. And not one person in the lunchroom laughed. Not one. It was all silent and nobody making a move but watching Gina going crazy.

"What...are you doing?" Nate asks in confusion.

"I'M YOU, NATE!" Gina snapped before jumping up and down and making noises and turning to a lunch table and jumping up and down like with it like WICKEDLY INSANE.

"HOW ABOUT THAT NATE, HUH?" Gina shouts.

Then Gina turned to Ruby and exclaimed with a risen hand:

"Oh, I'm gonna high five Ruby! Give me five!"

Ruby didn't high five Gina back. She just stared at Gina. That's when Gina GRABS Ruby's hand and hisses:

"Give me FIVE!"

And next thing you know, Gina is SLAPPING Ruby's hand like nuts for a total of three times.

"HUH? HOW ABOUT THAT, HUH? THAT'S YOU, NATE!" Gina shouted at Nate after slapping Ruby in the hand. Ruby looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Even Nate was disgusted and angered by Gina.

"Okay, p...please stop," Nate says quietly.

"I'm Nate. I'm Nate. And I need attention," Gina responded while getting on one of the lunch tables.

Then Gina exclaimed:

"YEAH, I'M NAAAAAAATTE! I'M NATE! LOOK HERE! LOOK, THAT'S THE FUNNIEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED IN THE WHOOOOLLLEE WOOOORRRLLLLDDD!!!"

While exclaiming, Gina UNZIPPED her pants, slid her finger into her pants and starting waving her finger left and right, much to everyone's shock and disgust.

Nate felt like something was gonna happen, so he quickly hides his scissors away and continues to watch Gina go berserk and thought to himself:

I created a monster. Way to go, Nate. Way to go.

While wondering to himself, Nate then sees someone walking quietly into the lunchroom, wondering what the commotion is about.

It was Principal Nichols.

And to make it more interesting, no one else noticed the principal. Not one.

"I'M NAAAAAAATTE! I WANT ATTENTION! WOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE! I'M NATE! I'MMMMM NATE! WING NING NING NING NING NING NING NING NING NI-" Gina continued to go berserk, then she gets interrupted by Principal Nichols, who shouts:

"Gina Hemphill-Toms!"

Gina immediately stops and turns to the shouter and gasps.

"Principal Nichols!"

"Alright, that's it! You're coming with me!" Principal Nichols angrily hisses to Gina and heads straight towards her.

"No what?" Gina cried as she immediately zippered her pants.

Principal Nichols then grabs Gina's arm so she wouldn't break free and leads her out of the lunchroom as Gina desperately tries to tell Principal Nichols about Nate.

"No! No no no no! No, it was Nate! It was Nate, Principal Nichols! No! Nate!"

Unfortunately for Gina, Nate did not come forward to confirm the truth. He did absolutely nothing but watch as Gina was dragged away by the principal. Gina was the thorn in Nate's back that wouldn't go away for too long, and Nate thought it was time to get rid of the thorn. For good.

"Nyyyyyahhhh! It was NaaaaAAAaaate! IT WAS NATE! IT WAS NAAAAAAAAAATE!!!!!" Gina screamed before being lead out of the lunchroom.

And the lunchroom stayed silent and still, not even making a single move. Then everyone looked at Nate, who immediately put down the scissors and waited for everyone to react to Nate getting rid of Gina.

Silence for a few seconds. Then…the lunchroom exploded with cheers and excitement. And everyone got up and went over to Nate and began cheering:

"Nate! Nate! Nate! Nate! Nate!"

Even Randy was impressed enough he nodded to his friends and went over to Nate and slowly lifted Nate in the air. Randy's friends went over and helped Randy too.

Nate was excited. He stood up to Gina. He won.

But the only who wasn't excited was Nate's ex-friends.

Soon, lunch came to an end. And Nate still felt pretty good for himself. Soon it will be gym class so Nate began heading that way.

Randy was heading down to gym the exact same way when Nate's ex-friends approached him.

"Hey, Randy!" Teddy hollers to Randy.

Randy turned around and replied with a smirk:

"Well, well if it isn't Nate's ex-friend tattle-tellers? What's up?"

"Alright, Randy. What did you do to Nate that made him turn against us?" Dee Dee angrily demanded.

"Me? I didn't do anything wrong," Randy replied back.

"Don't EVER lie to us, Randy. We know you did SOMETHING to Nate, so start talking!" Francis demanded.

"Still no involvement. Nate came to ME about what you did to him yesterday. He wasn't happy with that little game you pulled off on him."

"Is that why you two were hugging this morning? You guys are best friends now?" Teddy asks coldly.

"Yup. I understand him more than you three COMBINED," Randy replied with a smirk.

The word 'COMBINED' echoed in Dee Dee's mind. Now she was starting to feel Nate's anger but somehow she wondered whether she did the right thing by not talking to Nate unless he settled down.

So after a brief moment, Dee Dee opens her mouth and asks:

"Did you have any involvement with Nate?"

"No I did-" Randy started but got cut off by Dee Dee.

"Did you HAVE any involvement with Nate?"

Dee Dee just wanted to hear the word 'yes' come out of Randy's mouth so she could report him and shut down the problem as it was getting out of hand.

That's when a voice comes in.

"No, he DIDN'T."

It was Nate.

Everyone turned to Nate and Francis asks:

"What's WITH you today, Nate?"

"What do you mean?" Nate responds.

"You tased Gina in social studies (which I'll give you points for that), turned away the opportunity to ask Ruby out, had everyone turn against us, and you got Gina caught during a hoedown and be lead away by the principal (which was GOLD, by the way). What's the problem?"

"Well, Einstein, I am THIS CLOSE to getting expelled by Principal Nichols," Nate replied by having his two fingers a quarter inch from each other. Then Nate finished his sentence:

"And the last thing I want is more trouble so I get kicked out of school. For good."

Francis simply shook his head and says:

"We're already aware of that...but why would you skip the mud bowl practice for good?"

"Yeah, we can't beat Jefferson without a full team," Teddy chimed in.

Jefferson Middle School was P.S 38's arch-rival. They're just about good as everything in sports, dance contests, whatever. But unfortunately, P.S 38 suddenly broke the 7-year record from Jefferson by challenging them at a snow sculpture contest and winning too. But unfortunately for P.S 38, Jefferson stills the record of winning the Mud Bowl for THIRTY-SIX YEARS. And because of Nate dropping out of participation from the Mud Bowl, Jefferson could get the THIRTY-SEVENTH YEAR, AGAIN.

Anyway…

"Didn't I terminate my friendship with you guys anyway?" Nate asked.

No answer.

"L...look. I don't know WHAT you're going through right now, Nate, but...but can you at least show up to practice so we can win against Jefferson?" Dee Dee asked Nate with mixtures of anger and desperation in her voice.

"Is that a good reason why I shouldn't leave you on the sinking ship?" Nate responds quietly.

Dee Dee nodded.

"Fine. I'll come," Nate sighs.

"And you can have your new friend join if you want."

"Great idea," Nate replied with a casual smile on his face.

Then Dee Dee cleared her throat and hisses to Nate:

"Just do us all a favor and get your shit together and get your head out of the ass... before Jefferson takes the 37th year in the mud bowl!"

Then Dee Dee walked away close to crying. Francis and Teddy looked at Nate for a bit but didn't say anything. Then they shake their heads and began to walk away, catching up to Dee Dee in the process.

Nate turns to Randy, who said:

"Thank you."

Nate nodded then sighs.

"You gonna be alright?" Randy asks.

"Yeah, I never needed them, anyway. Who needs them?" Nate responds.

Randy shrugged then said:

"Come on. Let's get to the gym."

"Right."

Elsewhere, Gina was led to the car by her parents. She tried to explain what really happened, but she couldn't because her parents wouldn't listen to her. As Gina was being driven home, another car came from behind and…

BANG! BANG BANG!

Turned out an unknown individual pulled out a gun and fired at the car. One hit the tires, the other two hit Gina's father, killing him instantly and causing the car to crash and Gina losing conscious for a few moments.

"Oh...my head. Wha...what happened?"

Then Gina heard something click. She looked up slowly and saw a man with brown hair, blue eyes and a slight mustache pointing a gun at her head.

"Don't move," the man said.

Gina sighed and said:

"If you're gonna do it, go ahead. I'm already in big trouble."

Silence. Then…

"What did you do?" the man asked.

"I've tried to get back at a student, but got caught in the process," Gina responded.

"I see...If you want to strike back, then join me and we will topple your enemies for good."

"You mean that?"

"I do mean that."

Gina didn't answer immediately, then she heard a voice crying out for help.

It was Gina's mom.

"Help...me…" she cried out.

Gina didn't want to kill her mom but she knew if she tried to help her mom, she would get killed by the assassin.

Then something clicked.

It was revenge.

Hot-boiling revenge.

Gina thought about Nate and all the things he said and did to her that made her mad. And the more she thought about it, the more she agreed to accept the assassin's offer to join.

So Gina took the gun from the assassin and went up to her mother and-

BANG! BANG BANG!

Gina Hemphill-Toms committed her first murder.

"Good. Wonderful!" said the assassin in delight.

"Thank you," Gina replied with a sinister smirk on her face.

"I'm Jason Evans," the assassin introduced himself.

"I'm Gina Hemphill-Toms," Gina responded.

"So tell me. What got you into this mess?"

"Nate Wright. He's a classmate that got me here. He has spiky hair, a blue-yellow shirt, and draws comics a lot."

"I see. Now tell me, where do I find him?"

"School is going on. I think he's there as of right now."

"Okay, what time should we get him?"

"Soon...very soon," Gina replied with an evil grin on her face.

You just wait, Nate Wright. You will pay for what you did to me. Gina thought to herself.

Revenge was about to strike.

* Uh oh. What will happen next? Stayed tuned for more chapters of 'The California Adventure'.

**Author's Note:**

> *Done. That's chapter 1, folks. I will continue soon but feel free to comment in the review section. So long! ;)


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